The iconic red wax seal leaves no doubt that the bottle holds Maker’s Mark, a bourbon with a smoothness and distinct flavour that is owed to the use of corn, barley and red winter wheat in the mash. Usually a bourbon’s mash includes a bit of rye to give it flavour, but Maker’s Mark leave that job to red winter wheat. This contributes to the bourbon’s signature style that radiates all that Indiana and Kentucky grown goodness on the forward palate and it makes Maker’s Mark one of the best value sipping bourbons around, hands down. Smooth, sweet and subtle.

Maker’s Mark produces bourbon of consistently high quality that melds the distinct flavour from red winter wheat with the natural sugars extracted from charred white oak. The nose offers vibrant toasted oak with raisiny port that intermingles with rich grain notes, citrus peel and smoothing layers of corn interlaced with more plump raisin, honey, dried fig and vanilla. On the palate dark chocolate develops with glazed prunes, honeycomb, vanilla and the mild buzz of grain. Then, suddenly, the flavours flatten. The sweet yet wood laden and drying finish remains for a little while, but is interrupted by a bitter oak driven twang that cloaks the remaining shimmers of grain.

For the price, it is hard to beat Maker’s Mark. Do not expect fireworks or mind boggling complexity. This is not what Maker’s Mark is designed to do. If you want to be blown away from big heavy oak and piercing spices resulting from an aged bourbon you’ll need to fork out some more cash. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles. Either that, or you can start with Jim Beam Devil’s Cut if you want to try a big bad bourbon with lots of kick. Maker’s Mark, as the above ad reads, “is what it isn’t”… now that is an interesting and good point.